Illinois patients continue nursing home care waits

An Illinois audit has found that more than half of those seeking state-paid nursing home care have been waiting more than 90 days for a decision on their cases.

Lee Enterprises Newspapers' Springfield bureau reports that the review by Auditor General William Holland shows a backlog. That's despite a new law and state money to hire more employees to run the program.

The audit said that 4,200 people waiting for a long-term care determination as of July 1. More than 2,100 of those cases are more than 90 days old.

The state took steps last year to erase the backlog. Officials opened processing centers in Chicago and central Illinois.

Holland says it's unclear from his research whether there are enough employees or money to address the problems.